Friday, November 2, 2007

10 more farmers commit suicide-The Times of India -Breaking news,

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10 more farmers commit suicide3 Nov 2007, 0335 hrs IST, TNN

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NAGPUR: Even as the DF government celebrated its third anniversary of assuming power, 10 more farmers from Vidarbha committed suicide in the last 48 hours, the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, which has been documenting the region's agrarian crisis along with farmers' suicides, has claimed.

Criticising the rosy picture presented by chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh about the success of a special package meant to bail out distressed farmers of Vidarbha, VJAS convener Kishore Tiwari has alleged that the reality was quite the contrary.

The VJAS has claimed that the figure of farmer suicides in 2007 in Vidarbha's in six suicide-hit districts has reached 988.

Tiwari also alleged that the delay on the government's part for complete loan waiver for the farmers―as proposed by Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar―was driving distressed farmers to end their lives.

On its part, the Maharashtra government has in principle agreed to give Rs 1,500 per hectare to maximum to five hectare relief to all cotton growers, yet there has been a delay in executing the decision, Tiwari alleged.

"If the government is serious about saving Vidarbha's farmers, then it should act fast," Tiwari said while reacting to the appointment of another probe panel on Vidarbha's farmer suicides.

"Loan waiver is a part of the relief but not a complete solution to Vidarbha's agrarian crisis. Issues related to the cotton price and sustainable farming along with Food Crop Promotion Programme have to be implemented," Tiwari added.